Spirit of Detroit gets new shirt

Editor’s note: This article was initially published at Freep.com.

Robert Allen, Detroit Free Press

The Spirit of Detroit statue got a wardrobe change at sunrise today to a white United Way shirt.

The nonprofit organization marks 100 years of service in the region with the shirt that says, “Live United” and includes a logo marking the centennial on the right sleeve.

“The T-shirt is our way of saying, ‘thank you,'” said Vickie Winn, public relations director for United Way for Southeastern Michigan.

A three-pound white taffeta shirt was created by Prop Art Studio in Detroit with 28 yards of fabric and took 15 hours to make, according to a United Way news release.

United Way is in nearly 1,800 communities across more than 40 countries and territories: “We are focused on creating community-based and community-led solutions that strengthen the cornerstones for a good quality of life: education, financial stability and health,” according to its website.

The United Way torch in the Woodward Avenue median across from the statue was wrapped in a banner.

One week ago, the Spirit of Detroit was given a blue, University of Michigan shirt to mark its bicentennial since it was founded in Detroit in 1817. It later moved to Ann Arbor.